August 17, 2014

WHO urges calm as Kenya bans contact with Ebola-affected countries

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged governments not to impose blanket bans on trade and travel on Ebola-affected countries after Kenya joined a growing number of countries and airlines severing links to three west African states.

The WHO has already said that the risk of Ebola transmission from air travel is low, but the level of fear is so high that several airlines have disregarded the UN agency's advice. The disease has already killed at least 1,145 people across west Africa this year.

"The scale of the outbreak is much larger than anything ever seen before," said Gregory Härtl, a WHO spokesman. "It is an obvious source of concern and it is not to be underestimated, but we must take measures commensurate with the risk. What you don't want to do is to take blanket measures to cut off travel and trade."

Despite such advice, Kenya is the latest country to jump on the bandwagon by declaring a travel ban on Saturday. From midnight on Tuesday, people travelling from or through Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia will not be allowed to enter the east African country, said Kenya's health ministry.

Nigeria, which allows entry to health professionals and Kenyans returning from those countries, was not included in the ban. The outbreak, which has killed more than 1,000 people, began in the forested zone on the borders of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia earlier this year, and spread to Nigeria last month.

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The World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged governments not to impose blanket bans on trade and travel on Ebola-affected countries after Kenya joined a growing number of countries and airlines severing links to three west African states.

The WHO has already said that the risk of Ebola transmission from air travel is low, but the level of fear is so high that several airlines have disregarded the UN agency's advice. The disease has already killed at least 1,145 people across west Africa this year.

"The scale of the outbreak is much larger than anything ever seen before," said Gregory Härtl, a WHO spokesman. "It is an obvious source of concern and it is not to be underestimated, but we must take measures commensurate with the risk. What you don't want to do is to take blanket measures to cut off travel and trade."

Despite such advice, Kenya is the latest country to jump on the bandwagon by declaring a travel ban on Saturday. From midnight on Tuesday, people travelling from or through Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia will not be allowed to enter the east African country, said Kenya's health ministry.

Nigeria, which allows entry to health professionals and Kenyans returning from those countries, was not included in the ban. The outbreak, which has killed more than 1,000 people, began in the forested zone on the borders of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia earlier this year, and spread to Nigeria last month.